German Hydroelectric Plant Is A Breathtaking Example Of Organic Industrial Architecture

Your typical hydroelectric plant isn't going to win many architecture awards - industrial or efficiency awards, yes, but not architecture. Nevertheless the Iller Hydroelectric Plant in Kempten, Germany designed by Becker Architekten took home three architecture awards in the last year. Organic in form, the concrete power station is more sculptural than industrial, making a far greater visual impact than some boring old plant. Plus, the project also included the construction of a pedestrian and bike bridge across the Iller River. Who says power plants can't be a thing of beauty?

The new Iller River hydroelectric station replaces a 50 year old station, and transforms the riverscape into one that is less pragmatic and more artistic. Becker Architekten, who were chosen by the city for their innovative take on industrial architecture, decided to highlight the power plant through its form. The smooth flow of the 150 meter long plant to funnel water into the turbines shows its river-like nature. Modern and organic at the same time, the plant stands apart from the scene, but it also flows naturally into the space like a large boulder the river must flow around.

Completed in November 2010, the plant supplies enough power for 4,000 households and 14 gWh of electricity annually. The exterior of the plant is smooth white concrete like a giant pebble, while the interior is cavernous and formed with rough wooden boards to build the forms. Inside the turbine hall, it is all business with industrial finishes and the highest sound proofing standards. As a final touch to the power station and river, Becker Architekten integrated a steel pedestrian and bicycle bridge into the project. So far the plant has won the German Architecture Prize 2011 Concrete, the pbb German commercial award 2010 and was a finalist for the 2010 Liechtenstein International Award for Sustainable Building in the Alps.

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lazyreaderJune 29, 2011 at 12:27 pm

The Hoover dam is an architectural masterpiece. The designers applied an elegant Art Deco style to the entire project. It possesses sculpted turrets rising from it’s facade. Artists were hired to handle the design and decoration of the walls and floors of the dam. His name was Allen Tupper True, and he applied Navajo and Pueblo Indian motifs throughout the dams walls and floors. His work was emphasized in a poem by the New Yorker……… “lose the spark, and justify the dream; but also worthy of remark will be the color scheme”

Another sculptor was Oskar J.W. Hansen designed many of the sculptures on and around the dam. His works include the monument of dedication plaza, a plaque to memorialize the workers killed and the bas-reliefs on the elevator towers.

Surrounding the base of it’s monument is a terrazzo floor embedded with a “star map”. The map depicts the Northern Hemisphere sky at the moment of President Roosevelt’s dedication of the dam. Acting as a open air time capsule, this is intended to help future astronomers, if necessary, calculate the exact date of dedication.